The Pain of the Flame
by maus007
Summary: Natsu was once a happy kid. One full of life, joy and happiness. One average day, a terrible accident comes and changes his life forever. Will he ever find happiness again? 2nd fanfic...Yay. Enjoy!
1. What could go wrong?

**Natsu's life used to be one full of love, joy, and happiness. But after a terrible accident that sends 9-year old Natsu Dragneel to an orphanage that treats children very badly, what will Natsu do to cease his pain of loss, sorrow, abuse, and bullying?**

**Yay! 2nd fanfic is finally out! This one has been sitting on my mind for a long time... So yea... Hope you like it! A little sad... **

* * *

"See you later dad!" Natsu yelled as he ran to the school yard/playground, waving Igneel Dragneel a goodbye. Natsu ran to the schoolyard, already spotting his best friend. "Hey Timmy! Did you hear about what the old art teacher did? Remember when she told us about how badly she wanted to jump out of a plane with a wing suit, a parachute, and a

whole but load of paint? SHE DID IT! It was on the news too- titled _ -The craziest ever 93rd birthday for the craziest granny alive- _It was SOOOO cool!"

"You bet I have! My parents had to call me into the living room to see it! They interrupted me attempting to figure out how to sabotage my older sister with my toy cars and her hair dryer, but it was so worth it! Mrs. Bonnie even broke 3 world records!"

"Obviously for being the oldest lady sky diving..."

"And for being the craziest granny alive...-"

"No you idiot!"

"Who you callin'-" Natsu was cut short when the bell rang, signalling the start of school. He and Timmy made their way to their class'es line-up spot, occasionally shoving each other. The two lined up as their teacher, Mrs. Spring, came to retrieve her 4th grade class from the school yard. As they followed Mrs. Spring into the school building and into their classroom, Natsu and Timmy, along with most other students, were very hyper today. Mrs. Spring seemed to notice the class'es energy, so she decided that they should cool it off with a fun activity first.

"OK! Good morning everyone! It has been a long week, hasn't it?"

"YES!" Shouted the class.

"Why not do something fun today?"

"YES!" Shouted the class (again.)

"You have worked very hard this week, so... who wants to make stuff out of clay?" The class went wild. Mrs. Spring was famous for her fun, careless, artsy personality, which made her a great, lovable person, as well as a 4th grade teacher. She smiled as she got out the clay. _These kids are so happy... she thought. Man... they could stay like this forever... so happy. _She didn't know that one of these kid's lives will come crashing down today.

* * *

"Man! School was never this fun before!" Natsu said while molding the clay. "Hey Timmy, whadya making?"

"A helicopter! You?"

"A dragon!"

"Mrs. Spring says when we are done making what we want, the clay will dry over the weekend, then we can paint it..."

"Yeah!"

Suddenly, the phone rang.

"I'll get it!" Yelled Cristina, the girl always eager to answer the phone.

"Its ok, Crissy. your hands are dirty. I'll get it this time." Replied Mrs. Spring. "Hello?" The class stared at Mrs. Spring, like always, wondering what it's all about. "Yes, he's here... oh no... yes. I'll bring him personally." Mrs. Spring scanned the class with sad eyes. "Natsu.. please come with me."

**First chapter! How do you like it? What's gonna happen next OooO**

**Please comment to let me know what you think! Flames I will use for roasting marshmallows... GeeHee**


	2. It's a joke

**Hey guys I'm back! So, We left off with Mrs. Spring taking Natsu somewhere... To the principal's office? What for? Why? You shall find out in the next chapter...**

* * *

"Mrs. Spring, where are we going? Asked Natsu.

"The principal's office."

"But... I haven't done anything wrong... Right?"

"No Natsu. I am not the one to explain this to you. I don't what to be the one either." Mrs. Spring was in fact doing a great job of putting on a mask so Natsu won't get too worried. "In there Natsu. I suspect you've been here before." Natsu silently walked into the principal's office, not knowing what was going on, and little did he know that these are the last moments of his life as an ordinary, happy, kid.

* * *

Mrs. Spring waited outside. She couldn't bear it anymore. Natsu didn't have anyone left now. What would become of him?

* * *

Natsu closed the door of the principal's office behind him. He tried to keep down his bubbling worry. _What the hell is going on? Its going to be ok. Mr. Bonsai probably wants to kill me for putting mustard on his car... But me and Timmy did that! Why do I get punished for it? Why was Mrs. Spring so worried? Did...did something happen?_

* * *

_?_

Pushing down his growing unease, Natsu walked into the room.

"Ah, you are here." Mr. Bonsai said. "I have to give you a message... a sad one indeed." Mr. Bonsai smoothed his mustache and gazed at Natsu trying to keep his cool. "I don't know how to say this to you..." Mr. Bonsai hesitated. "There has been a terrible accident."

"And..." Natsu's unease was growing...

"And... oh god Natsu what are we gonna do with you... Your father..."

"_no..."_

"Your father passed away." Suddenly Natsu couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. All his memories with his father...all the good times they had together...suddenly seemed so cruel...like if his memories were acting against him...it all crashed out in one horrible scream.

"Natsu? Natsu! Sorry Mrs. Spring, he seems to be going through some kind of shock. "

Natsu was staring blankly, breathing heavy, short gasps, and couldn't...understand. His dad...dead? No...this is a cruel joke...it must be...yes. The whole school must be trying to pay back for when I booby trapped the bathrooms with sticky goo...but Timmy did that with me! How come I always take the blame?

"Haha." Natsu laughed emptily. Then he began laughing for real... Rolling around on the floor, clutching his stomach, and seemed happy.

"That was soooo funny! Wow, I never knew you were so good at pulling mean pranks! Wel-"

"Natsu, " Mr. Bonsai said, his voice surprisingly gentile. "This is not a joke."


	3. What Now?

_"Natsu, is is not a joke."_

* * *

**Hello you people! It's Batman, making the 3ed chapter of this story more "pain" associated. Thais chapter is where Natsu says a final goodbye to his wonderful home and sets off to an orphanage... But not just any orphanage! Dun Dun Duuun!**

**Enjoy this chapter! I'm on a roll today! ... And thanks so much to my first reviewer...bpheadhunter!**

* * *

Those words haunted Natsu. The words he knew for sure that this was not a joke, his dad was dead, gone forever, never to be seen again... Natsu looked out of the car window, silent tears falling down his cheeks, as he made his way away from his home. An orphanage decided to take him in... He only _hoped_ the people there will be nice, and maybe he might make some friends.

Exiting the school that day, seeing his dad's body (he forced himself into the room), that court battle (which he had to witness, and ended up beating up that guy who killed his father, the police had to restrain him too after he punched the guy so hard he broke the guy's nose... AND he wasn't sorry), the funeral, packing a suitcase and a backpack (for that much the orphanage allowed children to bring, the rest will go to charity, even his dad's money that wasn't entrusted to him. He also wasn't allowed to bring any money with him, but he smuggled the stuff+a wallet in his album containing his precious memories, just in case.)... Natsu couldn't take it any more. He, unwillingly, recalled a memory from the funeral, "_...We are all gathered here to say goodbye... to a father, friend, and a great person, Igneel Dragneel, who passed to the other side on June 7, 777, **A/N: I'm pretty sure it's July 7, but for chapter 1 to fit in... let's make it one month early, shall we? ...**an unfortunate day for many(directed at Natsu), but we must remember him from all the good times we shared with him..."_ That stupid priest was rambling in Natsu's head as the black car turned onto a highway, increasing it's speed, and Natsu watched his lovely town flash by... going... going... gone.

Natsu remembered the terrible moment when a social service worker explained everything to him in greater detail. _"...He died in a car crash. unfairly too. By some drunken basta- -**man** behind the wheel of a truck. That person was, and currently, has a drinking problem, so I'm not surprised he crashed a car. It appeared as if Mr. Igneel was headed towards the movie theater for later I talked to some of his buddies who said he had to pick up tickets there..." _That heartless social worker. He hated her. Natsu punched the seat cushion next to him.

"Quit being so violent, will ya?" Screeched the hag behind the wheel.

Nastu gave a humph and turned to face the window, where the view was becoming deserted. _Just where is this place?_ Natsu asked himself. 3 hours have passed in the car.

"Is there anything to eat?" Natsu asked the old hag in the most polite way possible.

"Quit yer whinin'! I ain't wanna hear it!" She screeched.

"What about something to drink?" Natsu tried again.

"Shut up you brat! Don't distract me or you'll end up like your daddy!"

That was the final straw. Natsu bit his lip hard, but it didn't stop the tears. He started to cry, and he didn't care if the car crashed, if he was to die, he just wanted his dad back. The hag suddenly hit the brakes.

"We're here!" She screeched anxiously. Natsu, startled out of his tears, recovered from the sudden brakes.

Natsu literally jumped out of the car. He never had motion sickness, but this was a different story. Now driving didn't seem so fun anymore. then he saw the building.

It looked like an oversize shack. It was rundown and odd-looking, like if a blast of wind hit it, the whole thing would collapse. Then Natsu registered the heat. It was very hot and muggy, and judging how the shack, sorry, orphanage, looked, there was no AC. He heard the sound of wheels, and the hag screeching a "GOODBYE!" then a cloud of dust. His suitcase was lying in a heap to his right, and he had his backpack on. He grabbed the suitcase and pulled it towards the door of the building.

There was only one thing left to do.

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**The satisfaction of a beautiful cliff hanger! So how do you like chapter 3 so far? Please R&amp;R! Be prepared for chapter four, and try to guess what the "one thing left to do" is! **

**See you all!**

**-mousie007  
(Secretly Batman) **


	4. A chat

**Hello everybody! Chapter 4 is up! It is 7:16 in the morning when I am writing this, and I have a state test from math to complete! Later on, I might change the rating of this story to M because it is not called "PAIN" for nothing! No lemons of such, though. Just the pain.**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! ~I'm evil;)**

* * *

_There was one thing left to do._

Natsu walked through the door of the rundown 10x larger than a shack building. He got to a counter and shyly greeted the lady.

"H-hello, I'm-"

"I know who you are. You are on the second floor with the bed next to the bed that has your name on it. Tomorrow at breakfast we will review the rules." She said it so quickly that it took Natsu quite a long time to process it.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go to bed!" The lady said it in an angry manner, like if she was threatening him.

"Goodnight?" Said Natsu, unsure how to react to her tone.

"Go you brat!"

Natsu, shocked buy her reaction, pulled his suit case up the stairs with much difficulty.

The second floor, he saw when he entered, was more battered-looking than the lobby. But as Natsu predicted, no AC. He saw a bed next to the many other beds with a paper on it that said "Natsu". The sheets were musty and old, and the blanket was moth-eaten. _It's a good thing that my dad always makes me pack a sleeping bag... _Natsu thought, but shook his head. He didn't want to remember his father in a terrible time like this, for he literally left almost everything behind. The only things that he had that reminded him of his parents were: A photo of his parents by the beach (His mom died when he was very little), a photo of him and his dad (in the park when Natsu was 8 1/2. Yes, he remembered that day well.), his dragon figurine(that his dad bought him when he was 5), a stuffed animal sheep that he had since birth(Natsu thinks it was given to him from his parents), his mom's key chain with a cool symbol on it, and a photo album.

Natsu started unpacking. He didn't bring much, for he figured that he would fall into good hands, but... so far, life showed only sadness._ I wonder what we will have to eat, I'm STARVING!_ Thought Natsu. _I brought some cliff bars and fig bars for_ an_ emergency, ..._Again trying not to think of his dad... _But dad always told me to keep it to myself and only eat them if you REALLY need to. I won't eat them. _

Natsu unrolled his sleeping bag and put it under the sheets. **A/N: Remember how Natsu ALWAYS caries a comforter around?** He also had his memory foam pillow, which looked way more comfy than that chewed up lump.

There were a few kids up on the floor, girls and boys, but they seemed very quiet. Natsu felt very depressed for some reason. Of course, he was still sad about his father's death, but the orphanage... just depressing. None of the kids made any attempt to introduce themselves, or say anything.

Suddenly, it dawned on Natsu. Over here, he was just another person. No one cared, no one bothered, he was almost... invisible. Trying to ignore his stomach, he lay on the bed, pondering on what to do. He did pack some board games, and a sketch pad. He actually wasn't such a bad artist.

Just when he was about to get it out, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was a little girl with deep blue hair and large chocolate eyes.

"Hi." She said, not necessarily so happy, but also not so sadly.

"Hi." said Natsu back, in a similar tone.

"Are you new here?"

"Yes." Natsu was wondering why she didn't introduce herself first.

"Oh. You don't know what happens, then."

"Huh?" Natsu was confused.

"Never mind. No one likes to talk about it. By the way, when the hag comes up, hide your stuff, Especially toys. If she finds toys, she takes them to god-knows-where and we never see them again. Just... hide them."

"Really? They do that here? But... its like... we all been through so much, and we can't have something to cheer us up?"

"Yes. A friendly tip. Oh, and when the hag comes up, you have to be on your bed. If she finds you somewhere else, you get punished. Lucky us, we can talk all we want because my bed is next to yours. Just don't talk if the hag is near, she will come in and punish you." The girl cast her eyes down for a second then looked back up. "You don't want to face the hag, but everyone gets punished at least once a week."

"What exactly are the punishments?"

"You will find out soon enough." The girl paused. "I'm Wendy by the way. Wendy Marvell."

* * *

**Dang, what is with all these old ladies? (More properly, hags.) Yes, there are punishments for literally, everything. What do you want me to do next? Please comment! And, I got 100 views! Wooooo! **

**Wendy is currently 5, and is turning 6 tomorrow. She actually is usually happy, but... maybe you can figure it out. **

**Also thank you to bpheadhunter for the wonderful comments!**

**Please R&amp;R, comment, and tell me your ideas!**

**Thank you so much!**

**~mousie007 (Secretly Batman)**


	5. Announcements

**Hello again! I got me a cover photo! Wendy is so kawaii ;D**

**Sorry for not updating! Me had lots of work! I'm gonna make this chapter over 1000 words for you guys!**

**So, we left off with Wendy's birthday tomorrow. Yay...or really? let's see... On with the story!**

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"Now good night you miserable children!" Then the hag slammed the door shut. Natsu realized most kids had flashlights, even Wendy. Good thing, he brought one too. A kitty-shaped hand powered one. The kids turned them on, and soon the floor was illuminated with flashlight light. The kids began to get out of bed, forming a hasty circle. They started chatting nervously, reserving spots for their friends, or having shadow-cat competitions.

"Well, let's go, Natsu." Wendy said climbing out of bed. She looked sort of nervous, like if she had a bad vision or something. Taking her flashlight, she leaped over some boards (obviously creaky) and sat down in the circle, beckoning Natsu to come sit with her. Natsu, flashlight in hand, stepped over and sat down next to Wendy. Soon, all the kids were in the circle, and it got quiet. Wendy, as Natsu noticed, was acting more nervous than before, her small fists clenched tightly on her lap, eyes downcast.

"Ok, everyone, listen up." Said a boy with sandy hair, that was obviously a teenager. 15, Natsu guessed. "We have some announcements today." Some groans, chatter, tension... you name it.

"Really, Andrew. Just get on with it. I bet you I know half of them already." Said boy's face reddened slightly, but his expression remained calm.

"Right, Simon. **A/N: Not the guy from the Tower of Heaven. Can't there be random people named Simon? **So, anyways, there is a knew creak in the floor discovered by Zach, in the middle right of the room. Sam and Fred, between your beds, yeah, that one. There may be a new access to the hags's food pantry, but not tested yet. The twins from floor 4 are going to try to test it, but God knows what will happen to them if the hags find them." a Tremor went through the crowd, as if what might happen was something no human should experience.

"Also, we have a new member on our floor." All eyes turned to Natsu, staring at him, checking for any possible threats. "Why don't you introduce yourself?" Asked Andrew politely.

"Umm..."

"Yes?"

"..."

"Go on..."

"My name is Natsu. Natsu... Dragneel. I... I'm...I'm 9... almost ten... my dad died in a .. car crash... then I ...came here..."

"Well nice to meet you. I wish you a nice time here, but no one gets one anyways. So... long story short, Life here is terrible."

"Oh."

"So, you should have the right to know who we are. I'm Andrew. 15 years old." He held out his hand, and Natsu shook it.

* * *

Soon, after everyone introduced themselves, Andrew continued with the announcements.

"So, as many of you may know, the Tinther brothers (Alex and Andrew Tinther), living on floor 3, got caught trying to escape using the lift under the fence. They almost made it to, they started running, but the hag on lookout saw them. Poor kids. Wonder what's gonna happen to them."

Awkward silence.

"Obviously, they are going to get punished, and that route will be sealed off. Dang, they got close. Stupid hags always get in our way. Anyways, we have a birthday tomorrow. Wendy, good luck." All eyes turned to Wendy. Natsu finally got to know why she was so nervous. "So, let us hope the hags are in a good mood tomorrow so nothing bad happens to Wendy."

Natsu looked at Wendy, she was close to tears, visibly trembling. The girl on the other side of Wendy gave her a hug.

"Wendy-chan, it is going to be alright. Your birthday is once a year after all. The hags are also old ladies. Old ladies are forgetful. Now, relax. It's going to be OK."

Wendy sniffled, and whispered "Thanks Jasmine." The girl smiled. Andrew waited a moment, then said,

"Alright, big day ahead tomorrow. All of you, there might be an extra food surplus if the twins get to it. And it is good weather tomorrow. So, goodnight everyone. Remember to keep toys hidden."

The circle turned smaller and more irregular as more people got up and went to bed. Natsu saw a few take out toys from a hiding spot and play with them for a little while, or just hug them, put the toys back, and go to sleep. This included Wendy, who took out an old dolly and hugged her, and started to cry.

"Wendy, why are you so sad-I mean, it's your birthday tomorrow. Come on!"

Wendy didn't reply very fast though. But eventually, she looked up to Natsu and began to tell him what is fated to happen.

"You know how everyone was talking about punishments? How people have been talking of escape? Of breaking into the hag's pantry?"

"Well, the hags didn't seem very nice, but that's no reason to-"

"They hate you, Natsu. They hate children. It is practically a society that hates children, and abuses them for their own enjoyment."

"So how come this is an orphanage? I never imagined them to be nice, but...child abuse? That's illegal!"

"If you haven't noticed this yet Natsu, we are in the middle of know where. No one drives past. If you drive fast, meaning above 80mph for the whole trip, you could possibly make it to the nearest town in 1 and a half hours." Wendy looked down sadly. "So if you escape, the chances of survival are very low." Natsu was very impressed at why Wendy knew at such a young age, and resisted the urge to complement her because it didn't seen like she wants to talk.

Wendy sighed, calming down. "Let's get some sleep, Natsu, because the hags don't like it if we are tired. We need our sleep." Wendy burrowed into her moth eaten sheets, dispute the heat. Natsu heard a muffled goodnight come from her.

"Goodnight, Wendy." unsure if Wendy heard him or not, he turned over onto his side and fell asleep.

* * *

**Woo! So how was that! Again, sorry for not updating! Please, send me some ideas in your comments, I'll try to incorporate them, or work off of them! Yay! **

**Fun fact of the day: Something might happen to Wendy in the next chapter!**

**What will Natsu do? Dun Dun Duuun!**

**Please R&amp;R, Comment, and watch Fairy tail!**

**~mousie007 (secretly batman)**


	6. The ice box

**Haha! It's Batman, with a new chapter ready for reading! I've gotten so many followers... stay tuned, this is gonna be a very long story! **

**Also, a huge thanks to bpheadhunter for all the lovely comments! Sadly, my mom is not letting me work on my fanfictions... So in other words, updates are going to be slow. I'll try my best to update as fast as I can! And there is someone named Grey Fullbuster whining about not putting him on the character list while being chased by Juvia. Perverted Popsicle also is asking why I put Happy, but he will come later in the story. Try to guess how Happy is gonna come in!**

**Also, I've noticed PotF chapter one is exactly 600 words! Yay!**

**So, we left off with Natsu and Wendy going to bed right? What shall happen in the morning? Dun Dun Duuuun! Let's find out!**

* * *

Natsu awoke to an unpleasant sound. He didn't register what it was exactly, and he thought he was still dreaming. But he heard muffled groans, and the repulsive sound again. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked to his surroundings. Most kids were also up hastily, yawning, but then, as if a arrow was struck to their buttocks, there was a flurry of sheets, every one making their beds, Getting dressed under the covers, quickly brushing their hair, somehow trying to awake. Then the repulsive noise came again, and all the kids practically jumped. Natsu didn't understand what was going on, but saw Wendy doing the same. He pondered on asking her, but saw how nervous she looked, and decided not to bother the now 6 year-old girl. The kid next to him, who's name he remembered, Mathew, told him,

"The hags give us our wake up call. 2 trumps for wake up, 3ed one for inspection, where they check out our beds and stuff like that. If you have ant toys, thoroughly hide them. If the hags find any toys, the toys will never be seen again. Here, I'm done. I'll help you with your bed, and you find a good spot to hide your stuff. If the hags find it-" Mathew got interrupted by Zach, who shouted out:

"They're comin' up! Hurry!" And he ran to stand next to his bed. Natsu saw Mathew shove the last bit of sheet under Natsu's mattress, and went to stand by his own bed. Natsu shot a glance at Wendy, who really looked stressed out, and really at it on not crying. The doors burst open, and one of the hags walked in **A/N: Imagine the hag as Lamia Scale's hag of a master, exposing the thing opposite of feminine charm, also letting off an evil aura. **hands behind her back, face stern, and watching. Clicking into the room, looking so stern, every one was cowering back. She slowly, sternly, came to a stop by the bed 3 beds away from Natsu's. The bed of Jasmine.

"You wrenched girl, what is this?"

"A..a pouch of jasmine. To..to make m-my bed smell nice..."

The hag sniffed the jasmine. Wendy looked at Jasmine, who was looking down, fists clenched, jaw stiff, eyes brimming with tears. She sniffed again, very loudly. Then the hag reached for her skirt, and pulled out a pocket knife. _Wait.. whaaa..._Is all what Natsu had time to think before the hag smiled in a sinister way and slashed the knife through the beautiful, green embroided pouch, right before Jasmine's eyes. Most kids looked away sadly, some also had klenched fists, and some looked like they were planning evil schemes against the hags. Natsu, on the other hand, was enraged. How could someone do this? These hags are supposed to care for us, not tear us down. But he still couldn't process what had happened. then the hag slapped Jasmine. Hard. The 11 year old girl couldn't hold it in anymore. She let the tears fall. This made the hag more fired up **A/N: That is with Natsu's narration, ****briefly. **and slapped her more. When she stopped, Jasmine's whole face was red. Red from slap marks, and red eyes from crying. **A/N: The pouch was from her deceased mother. **With one final slap that echoed across the room, the hag moved on like nothing had ever happened. She stopped at Wendy's bed. _Don't you lay a finger on her... Don't you dare you old bat... I will kill you... _the hag raised her arms merrily, and bellowed,

"Happy Birthday!~" Brought her hands down, resulting in Wendy sprawled on the floor. "Brat." The hag spat. Then she kicked Wendy on the ribs. "Sixth birthday, huh? Help me count, little girl!" She kicked Wendy again.

"ONE!" Wendy yelled, Her voiced strained with pain.

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

"FOUR!" Wendy looked like she couldn't take it any more, voice becoming raw.

"FIVE!" Now Natsu couldn't take it any more.

"STOP!" He screamed. He pushed the hag away from Wendy, who was lying in a bruised mess on the ground. Natsu smelled blood, and sight confirmed, Wendy had a trickle of blood coming from her mouth and nose. This made Natsu even more furious. "You think you could do this to children?" He screamed, pushing the hag towards the wall. "This is unacceptable!" Another shove. "We have feelings to! Looks like you don't, so this shouldn't hurt at all! You take it out on innocent children, who have their whole life ahead of them, and their path is interrupted by some ugly-old-geezer of a hag that tortures them. Exactly! And you take it out on us! Buy yourself a bunching bag! Don't ruin our already ruined lives! Just-" Natsu would of probably have been ranting on forever, but was interrupted by a fist to the face. He sat down hard, and got pinned to the ground by the hag. Then came the death sentience, with everyone watching, for no one stood up to the hags, Not ever.

"Natsu Dragneel, the person I least expected anything to come out of... *sharp inhale* you are sentenced to 5 hours in the ice box." _No..._ Natsu, rubbing his face, stared at the hag with wide eyes. No way.

"Tootles!" Said the hag, exiting the floor. Natsu could swear that he heard her mutter, 'disc races to humanity.'

All eyes turned to Natsu. Andrew was the first to speak.

"Five hours in the ice box. Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"

* * *

**Oh yeah! Another chapter... on the same day! Yay! I am writing non-stop for this chapter, so sorry for flopping.**

**gulnslkljgblkfdsdl;skghbmnoomiyugut89yvutqatuvit. That is what happened when my face hit the keyboard. Dam, i'm tired. I'll update faster if you R&amp;R and comment, don't forget to send your ideas! **

**~Batman**


	7. Cold, and a Concussion

**Hello! I just came back from my middle school jazz academy audition (I play trombone.)! Wheeeeeee! i feel tired yet hyper. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! OK, I am very sorry for not updating for so long, for Batman is very busy. And, also, I am such a... never mind. **

**I want to share my great achievement with y'all. I PLAYED IN _CARNEGIE HALL_ on May 3rd, 2015, 2 o'clock pm. I played in an orchestra! Inner School Orchestras of New York had a concert there, and I was with the Morningside Orchestra. Here is a link to YouTube to see us playing! I am the only trombonist, and the WHOLE low brass section! The quality of the video is poor, but there is a close up on me, so you will be able to see how Batman really looks like. **

** watch?v=3XmFRTqyrLI**

**PLEASE watch the video! And comment if you like it.**

** Also, there is a site with recordings from the performance: ** /recordings5-3-15/ The website requires a password to access it, so here it is: **ch2015%#**

** So! Natsu is going to the ice box, eh? No, I am not going to make Natsu kill any of the hags, even though I had some requests for that. Sorry! **

**Let's see what Natsu is going through! ~I really need one of those base ball fanfare thingies. I wish fanfiction had sound efects. **

* * *

_How did they know? Only dad knew, and he never told ANYONE. I can't tolerate this stuff. Cold by nature, ok. Cold by force... no. _

Natsu couldn't process why and how the hags knew. He was so deep in thought, he walked straight into the person in front of him.

"Hey! Watch were you are going!" Said Zach, clearly pissed, like he wanted to fight. _Just like Timmy and me... _They were walking down the stairs for breakfast. Wendy, who was in back of him currently, also seemed like she was lost in thought. _Probably wondering what's going to happen to her. The ice box, really? _Thought Natsu.

After breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of "milk" with these things floating around in it, the hags made them do chores. Sweeping, polishing barbed wire, sorting paper, sawing boards, and other works that children shouldn't do. He saw a group of kids shining a fence lift up wires on the ground to make a hole. They also made a wall of dirt to cover it up so the hags hopefully ! won't notice it. Everyone looked painfully thin, lifeless, and almost... dead.

It was only after they went to bed that the hags fetched him. Natsu was asleep, but woke suddenly when his head bumped something. He realized that he was getting _dragged_ down the stairs. Also, he figured out they gagged him and tied him up when he couldn't move or scream. He also realised that he hags were dragging him down a stair case he'd never been on before. _On the way out, I'll see if it is a secret stair case.. cool. _

His moments of wonder stopped when Natsu felt a looseness, and then, pain, and sudden cold.

" So this is the i..ice b..b..b.. ?" He said to himself. He was already shaking from the cold, and it soon be unbearable.

It felt like he was in there for forever.

He desperate to stay awake. He felt like if he didn't, he would never wake up.

* * *

'"...temerature..."

"...is a fever..."

"concussion..."

* * *

**GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAGAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAH!**

That is what Natsu felt like when he woke up. Wendy stood over him, applying _STUFF _to his head. His head HURT, and he felt cold, Although the room was really hot.

...And he passed out again.

* * *

**So i didn't update for longg, and the chapter is short? PLEASE help out! Iam having WRITER"S BLOCK!**


	8. Hot

**So Super Sorry**** for not updating for so long! I know all you guys must be very angry? or frustrated? with me? **

**Hopefully not. **

**Are you enjoying your summer? Batman is! This chapter is getting posted from FRANCE! (Yes, Batman took the 8-hour journey by plane to France) Later in the summer, I am gonna be in Poland, my home country. **

**I have a lot to do this summer, so... yea. Updates won't be for a long time. SORRY!**

* * *

It has been many weeks since the ice box incident. Natsu has become one of the dazed, sad kids as everyone, hoping today will be just one lash with the whip, or a couple of punches here and there. Really, everyone was starting to look like corpses, loosing all hope in their lives.

When the hags were giving them the day's announcements at breakfast, they found out that the boy from the 3rd floor with moonbeam-blonde hair, stained with blood so it was red, got adopted, but three days later a message came that he had passed away. This made the hags crackle with laughter. Natsu clenched his teeth and tried to say something, fight back, avenge the boy, but not a sound came out, only tears. Good thing he had a few kids in front of him, because for crying, you get zipped up in the punching bag for 10 minutes so the hags could get a workout.

Natsu tried escaping that night. He knew that escaping was the only way to keep on living, to get up and start again. But it seemed like getting up and starting over wasn't an option when you carry those memories of all the beatings, punishments and crying you had, and all the beating, punishments, and crying you have seen. And when you freeze when that searching light focuses on you and you turn around slowly, all the hope of escape, a new life, some love, floods from you. Then they stare at you, trying not to laugh at the shame on your face, they sentence you.

"A day in the hall of fire!"

* * *

Natsu told Andrew, and only Andrew, what he got sentenced to.

"_A day. _In the hall of FIRE?" Andrew shook his head. "That's worse than A _year_ in the ice box!"

"What's the hall of fire?" Natsu asked. Normally, he would have been curious, but what if...

Andrew sighed. "Here Natsu. I will tell you. I barely survived _Ten MINUTES _in there. You really ought to be prepared."

* * *

The hags came the same way they came for him for the ice box.

In the middle of the night, tied up, blindfolded and gagged, Natsu got dragged down another stair case. He felt looseness, then pain, and a sudden...heat.

Groggily, Natsu sat up and opened his eyes. The "Hall of Fire" was exactly as Andrew has described. A hall, with FIRE around the edges, and FIRE in the floor, separated by these weird metal bars with holes. **A/N Anyone watch Kung-Fu panda? Remember that training room with that floor that shot up fire? Well, this is just like that. **But there was FIRE!

(Flashback) "_Daddy, teach me! Pleeeeeeeeease?" Asked a five year old Natsu. _

* * *

_"Natsu, you might pass out. I don't know if you have enough magical power in you." _

_"But I WANT to learn it Daddy! It looks fun!" _

_"Alright, but don't show it to anyone! First, I will tell you what it is._

_"This, Natsu, is very powerful magic. It is unknown to our kingdom. Heck, any type of magic is unknown to our kingdom. _

_" Daaad, how come you know it?"_

_"Because I come from the kingdom of Fiore. You heard about it?" Natsu shook his head, no. " There is magic every where! The cities all use magic, and the non-magic people use magic. But magic is unknown to our kingdom. Don't ask why. You don't want to know the answer. That is different. Our kingdom borders with Fiore, with the mountains, which are almost impassable, and the desert, but no one goes there. Also, with the sea and with a tiny scratch of forest on the south east side of our kingdom. There is a different system of work in Fiore, which I actually prefer, guilds. There are treasure hunter guilds, labor guilds, miner guilds... You get the point. But there are also wizards' guilds. Your guild is like your family. You spend time with your guild, earn money from clients by completing their requests, you live tougether, laugh tougether, cry tougether." _

_"Daddy, we're you in a guild?" _

_"No. No, I wasn't. I had a different, ah, occupation. ... But there was a guild I favored." _

_" Daddy daddy what was it?" _

_"That guild, a bunch of rambunctious younglings. Been around for quite a while. That guild, Fairy Tail." ( end flashback)_

* * *

So... Natsu decided he could practice the magic. Using the magic Igneel had taught him, Natsu inhaled, taking in the flames. He hadn't eaten flames for a while, and he was delighted he could have some. The heat in the hall went down for a moment, and then roared back up. Natsu smiled. An eternal supply of food. He could practice all he wanted.

After eating some more, Natsu decided to try a spell.

"Here it goes..." Natsu said to himself. "Roar of the...FIRE DRAGON!" Nastu focused on those words. He focused his magic to a wall, and let it out. A magic circle formed. It was bigger than Natsu's head, and then the fire roared in a column at the wall.

Natsu panted. Not bad.

* * *

**So! Another chapter! How is it!? Please R&amp;R! I need your ideas! **

**So, next, on tPotF...**

**What happens when Natsu comes out of the hall?**

**What will Wendy do? How will floor 2 rebel?**

**See ya, Batman**


	9. Magic is in the Air

**HelloHello ! I am trying to make it up to you for not updating for so long.**

**Another chapter under way! Thanks to all the lovely comments! **

**Special shout outs to:**

**~ Wolves silver wind**

**~ cristallina**

**...And ever faithful supporter, bpheadhunter!**

* * *

Natsu, exhausted but energiesed, felt happy for the first time in what seemed like forever. He had practiced all the spells he knew, and all the little tricks and fighting moves. He also practiced manipulating fire. It was very hard. Natsu grinned and stood up. Despise being exhausted, he worked himself harder. After this, he knew, he got drastic increases in his magical power.

"That's enough for today." Thought Natsu. He ate some fire, then sat down in a flaming corner to rest. But, little did he know, he was practicing for 23 hours. So when the hags came for him, he was asleep. So they woke him up with a punch to the face, put the gags and bonds on him, and brought him back to his floor.

Wendy was never a hard sleeper, so she always woke up if something was happening. So when the hags tore in and dumped Natsu on the floor besides his bed, then exited muttering about torture methods and spoiled children, Wendy woke with a start. She sat up and looked at the floor, expecting to see Natsu, badly burnt, bruised, and barely alive, found nothing. Instead, she found Natsu siting on his bed of lumps, rubbing his head.

"Ow. Do they have to drag us up and down stairs? This gets really painful after a while."

Wendy couldn't help herself. "Natsu-San!" she cried, and embraced him. Then she added, "You are not a burnt crisp. In fact, you don't seem to have experienced any casualties! How?"

Natsu didn't know how to tell her. Could he trust Wendy, yes...but his dad told him not to tell anyone. So, he just said, "My daddy taught me."

"He taught you how to not get burned?" Asked Wendy. "...or did he teach you something else..."

"Do you mean..."

"Magic." They said at the same time. They smiled.

"What type of magic do you use?" Wendy asked Natsu.

Still pondering weather not to tell, Natsu said "Dragon Slayer. Fire Dragon Slayer Magic."

"Really? I use Sky Dragon Slayer Magic!" Wendy's eyes were wide with excitement. "We could escape, and when the hags try to get us, we could use our magic and..." Wendy sighed. "We could escape. We have a chance." She looked down, in a sad way, and... Awkward silence.

Out of curiosity, Natsu asked, "What do you eat? The SKY?"

Wendy, surprised by the break of silence, said, "I eat air. You eat fire, I suppose."

"Humf." Natsu stared out the window at the other side of the room. "Do you think we could set everyone free, and just...all get away from this place?"

"I don't know, Natsu. I don't know." Wendy sighed. "We could always try, but..."

Natsu knew what she was thinking. Hardly anyone escapes. If they escape in a mass like this, they could have a chance. But the hags' had strong forces that probably even got stronger, and those who get caught, if they get caught...yea.

"Sorry I woke you up, Wendy." Natsu said suddenly.

"It's alright, Natsu. I can't sleep that well, and I wake up to every louder noise. We sould get back to sleep. We can start the news like a wildfire tommorow." Wendy yawned and lay back down, snuggling up. "Goodnight Natsu." She said.

"G'night Wendy."

And both kids fell asleep to pleasant thoughts, giving them a feel of happiness, warmth, but most importantly, hope. They smiled in their dreams, thinking how lovely air outside this shack was.

* * *

**So! Another chapter! A little short, but gives a lot to process. Please R&amp;R, and**

**comment**

**CoMmEnT**

**COMMENT!**

**See ya soon, and do ya know what's in store for these kids? **

**Batman loves you!**


	10. The Door to Freedom (and dead hags!)

**Yay! Chapter 10, where things get interesting. So, I asked a few of you for your help on this chapter ( you know who you are,) and I combined your ideas. So this chapter is gonna be awesome! Wheeee!**

**Thank you to my 1st reviewer on chapter 9: SkyDragon02 **

**...And ever faithful supporters, Wolves silver wind, cristallina, **

** AND bpheadhunter! **

* * *

The day went buy quickly for Natsu and Wendy. No one seemed to notice that those two seemed really anctiouse for some reason. They withstood their regular beatings, repaired the stupid barbed wire, and stuff like that, but really, they were planing their escape. Natsu and Wendy told Andrew in the morning that floor two should escape tonight, if not the whole orphanage. Andrew said that floor two would be enough, but Natsu told him to at least spread the news, because the other floors could help and maybe, just maybe, escape too. So by breakfast, every kid in the orphanage knew that floor two was gonna break out. **  
**

Natsu, currently working on fixing a fence, actually was badly messing it up. The hags gave them tools, so taking advantage of that, Natsu cut a door shaped flap that camoflauged with the fence, so if you ram yourself at it, it should open. Natsu quietly admired his work. He nudged Zach, who was working next to him, to pass on the news. Zach nodded.

* * *

When all the kids gathered for dinner, they were met with an unexpected, not exactly good, okay, bad, surprise.

"No dinner tonight!" The lead hag screeched happily. "No food! Our cook is sick! Tat means no dinner! Hahahahahaaaa!"

There was a murmur of uneasiness, then like a spark erupting to flame, the hall erupted in protest. There was screaming, shouting, and even throwing plates/bowls. In other words, it was a party of radical rambunctiousness. Sort of...fun. Until the lead hag ruined it.

"SILENCE!" She screeched. "You brats are impossible! Do you think we were going to give you food? YES! But now, NO! So next time, Shut the fuck up!"

A few of the younger children gasped at the harsh words, for (surprisingly) the hags didn't curse a lot, and everyone knows innocent little kids aren't used to profanity, therefore they think it is bad.

"Deal with it you brats, no food." said the hag. "Dissmised!" She screeched.

* * *

Tonight, after the hags left them to bed, Andrew hosted the usual circle.

"Alright everyone. We all know we are escaping tonight at midnight, so let's wish us all the best luck. The other floors will help, and maybe they will escape too. We don't know. Let us hope that the hags have an alcohol stash and felt like drinking today. Let's... Just hope for good luck."

Everyone, shuttering, seemed to respond to Andrew's speech. They were all nervous, obviously. No food didn't help either.

"So," Continued Andrew. "We should pack our stuff, as much as we could take, but try not to pack too heavy. That is not good either. If someone has a super light load, maybe they could carry some one's stuff that maybe doesn't fit or makes their back pack too heavy. Let us also watch out for creaks in the floor so the hags don't get too suspicious. "

"Um...Andrew?" Said Natsu.

"Yes?"

Natsu glanced at Wendy, and she nodded.

"Me and Wendy..."

"Wendy and I..." Natsu heard someone whisper.

"...have some thing to say."

Andrew nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"You all have heard of...magic, right?" There was a murmur of stuff, Natsu wondered if they were going to accept the fact that him and Wendy were mages.

Luckly for Natsu, Wendy picked it up.

"Natsu and I are mages. I use Sky Dragon Slayer Magic and Narsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. This could help us bust out of this hellhole and escape."

Those murmurs turned into conversations of ecitement. Everyone seemed to be really happy, and Natsu could feel the hope go up.

"This way, not only we could escape, but even the whole orphanage!" Zach exclaimed, as quietly but loudly as he could. "Hey, Jake, do you mind telling the other floors?" **A/N: Jake is the sly fox of floor two, even the whole orphanage. He could walk the floors and run up and down the stairs without making a sound! Cool! **Jake, who was a shy, timid, and quiet boy, nodded. He got up to go, but...

"Jake, wait." Andrew said. "Since we have a new 'power', we need a new plan. So, any ideas?"

Jasmine raised her hand. "We could sneak to that door/ hole thing Natsu made, and...Natsu, can you melt off the metal that you cut-wired, so it will be as silent as possible, wile we wait in the shadows, and try to silently push it away?" Natsu nodded. "Okay. Because if we push it away, just like that, it will make a lot of noise. Then, one by one, we could make a silent run for that bush patch straight ahead and regroup there. The other floors could wait for the signal that we are regrouped then they can start coming out. And while we escape, the other floors could keep look out, then so on... And since floor five has most of the older kids, they could easily go last."

Everyone nodded. It seemed like a good plan.

"What if something goes wrong?" Asked Jeremy. "What if the hags spot us, or hear us?"

"Then we fight." Natsu said, slamming his fists tougether.

"Or we can make a run for it..." Wendy offered. "If we're far enough..."

* * *

"Let us remain OPTIMISTIC about this..." Andrew said.

"We sould also dress in black..." Added Zach. "Like ninjas!"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Yes, Zach, that is a good idea."

"So, Jake, you know what to do." Jake nodded and left. "Floor five already established proper lookout stations. They will be keeping lookout for any stray hags. A red light means hags. No one, luckily, has a night punishment today. And floor four's twins are taking care of the lookout hags. So.. Let's get packing! We are gonna escape for sure!"

The circle broke as everyone went to their beds. Natsu took out his well hidden sleeping bag and stuffed it in the compression sac. Then he compressed it as mush as it would go, to save space. It was a good thing he had a large black back pack, because he could fit a lot of stuff and it camoflauges well. His water bottle was half full, so he left that out, maybe he could fill it. He but his photo album in the bottom of his back pack, for it fit there perfectly. Next, he stuffed in his sheep, then clothes, sleeping bag and travel pillow. On top of that, what was left of his candy/food/fig/cliff bar stash. He could survive 2 weeks on that stuff. He also took in a ziplock bag a few survival tools and his whole stash of matches. He could light a fire and eat it with the matches. Life Hacks! In the medium pocket, he put in his toys. The small one held his notebook and art suplies. He lifted up his back pack, not heavy. He put all his board games in one box and put that in the laptop sleve. He stuck his swiss army knife in the sunglasses pocket of the left strap. Lastly, he put his fat wallet of money in a secret pocket. Attaching his mom's key chain to a zipper, he felt ready.

Flash light in hand, he saw that most kids were still packing. They have developed good night vision, all of them. He saw some kids were making makeshift back packs out of the sheets. Some were packing the sheets. Natsu decided that that is a good idea, it could be used as a tent, and he had a poncho that was super big that could servers a rain tarp. He had to leave behind his suitcase. He looked towards Jake's bed, and sure enough, Jake was there, packing. No one noticed him come in, Jake the sly fox.

Wendy was done packing already. Natsu saw that she also stuffed her sheets in her bunny backpack.

"Ready?" He asked. Wendy nodded.

He and Wendy also decided that they were to head towards the forest passage to Fiore, so they could find Fairy Tail.

* * *

"It is time, everyone." Andrew said. Natsu and Wendy crept down the stairs first, so that Natsu could get started on the door to freedom and Wendy to keep a lookout for hag signals. As soon as they got down, they saw the lookout hags' booth had been duckt taped. Obviously the work of the twins.

Natsu nodded to Wendy to tell her he was ready. She gave a light signal to the lookout people to let them know they were starting.

Taking a deep breath, Natsu started melting the top part of the door and started to curve it upward. There was a sharp creak. Natsu imeadierly stopped, and they waited for something terrible to happen. Nothing did. Natsu resumed. The door to freedom was half way there. He worked faster...there! Fully open! Wendy gave two flickers with her flash light to signalise the opening of the door of freedom. A figure ran from the door of the orphanage and to the hole in the fence. It passed Natsu and Wendy and ran for the bush patch. Then another, and another. The great escape has begun.

* * *

"That's all of floor two." Wendy whispered. She gave the signal to floor three, who were already waiting by the wall, ready to run to the door.

"Wendy, wait..." Natsu whispered. "Is that..."

"A hag signal." Wendy finished.

Floor three began to come, not knowing of the hag signal. Wendy and Natsu started waving for them to come like crazy. Natsu saw a red alert signal. There was nothing left to loose.

"Run for it! EVERYONE!" He screamed.

He saw people coming from their posts, fleeing. But from the other side, out came an army of hags.

"Run, minna!" Souted Wendy.

But the hags were closing in. They were incredibly fast for their age.

Huge groups of kids were running to the door-sized hole in the fence, and when Natsu looked back, he saw they were running to the forest in the distance. The kids were making good progress, but the hags were do close to the farthest group, a mix of floor four and floor five, just exiting the building.

"Well, Wendy, there is one option left." Said Natsu. He couldn't wait to test out his magic against people.

Wendy, looking scared, said, "OK. But Natsu... I don't think I'll be much help!"

"It's alright, Wendy. We just have to free everyone. And, I'm sure you will do fine."

The hags started grabbing at the kids, trying to hold them back. Some started crying, so close to freedom, yet so far. The hags split up, and a larger group went for the hole in the fence.

"Wendy! Run to those kids! Free them from the hags! Then run towards the forest! Well met up there! And... I'll go deal with those old ladies."

"Right!"

Natsu and Wendy ran their separate ways, ready to lead their first battle of magic.

Natsu, getting close to the large group of hags, slowly catching up to a few slower children that didn't make it to the forest yet.

"Iorn Fist...OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Screamed Natsu, lighting his fist on fire, then plowing though the mob of surprised looking hags, punching, kicking, and screaming.

"I...Will repay you...for what...you have done...to ALL of US!" Natsu felt magical power course through his body...

"ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" That was the biggest, most powerful roar Natsu ever did. Among the hags rose panic, and most in the line on fire (literally) were severely injured. In other words, toasted.

Natsu continued beating the living crap out of the hags. Recalling what the hags did to him, his nakama, and all the kids here, those thoughts fueled him, and he wouldn't have stopped if Wendy hadn't called out to him.

"Natsu!" She called out. "Overdid it again, huh?"

Natsu, getting out of his rampage mode, looked around. All the hags were unconscious, most with bloody wounds, burnt hair, clothes and flesh, and even a few...looked dead. **A/N: That was for all you who suggested killing the hags in the beginning. **

"I don't feel sad. They should. But they didn't. So we got our revenge." Natsu paused. Kids were gathered around the splat of hags.

"Well, everyone? We escaped!"

A rousing cheer went up.

It seems all kids felt happy, for the first time in eternity. They have escaped, they have won, they got revenge.

* * *

**Wiew! The longest chapter so far! I'm so happy! **

**If you want more chapters like this, R&amp;R, but most importantly, COMMENT!**

**Comment with what you want to happen next, what adventures you want Natsu and Wendy to face on their journey to Fiore and to Fairy Tail! **

**If I get more than 15 comments on this chapter, the next chapter will be just as long, maybe even longer, and...who knows when Happy will come in? **

**Dun dun duuuun!**

**So, thank you SOOOO much, minna! 274 words!**

**See you soon, your dearest Batman.**


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